The commission approved raising Malloy's $150,000 salary to $165,000 and the $110,000 pay of Comptroller Kevin Lembo, Attorney General George Jepsen, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Treasurer Denise Nappier to $121,000. The governor's last salary increase was in 2003, while the other constitutional officers and the General Assembly had their last raises in 1998.

Rank-and-file lawmakers are paid $28,000 plus expenses and mileage for the part-time legislative jobs, while committee chairmen and other leadership positions make $32,000.

Biagio Ciotto, of Wethersfield, a commission member and former Democratic state senator, said he joined the majority because wage increases are due. Wednesday's commission meeting was led by Richard Balducci, a former speaker of the House.

Whether the recommendations translate into bigger paychecks is up to the General Assembly. The committee, made up of 10 members appointed by the governor and House and Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle, has a Feb. 15 deadline to submit a report to the Legislature, which would be vetted in the committee process.

The pay hikes would take place after the next legislative elections in 2016. Raises for the governor and constitutional officiers would kick in after the 2018 statewide elections.

Justin Bernier, of Plainville, a Republican appointee who was the lone dissenting vote on the commission, said research indicates that the current pay levels are in line with salaries nationally, and the governor is already paid slightly above average.

"The governor and the legislators' pay is where it should be, compared to other states across the country," Bernier said in a phone interview Wednesday night. "So I don't believe they deserve a 10 percent raise, especially when the rest of the state has stagnant wages. It's a part-time Legislature and it was never designed for full-time pay. If this goes through, the governor will be making more than the governors of Texas and Illinois."

Devon Puglia, Malloy's spokesman, said Wednesday night that Malloy has no interest in a higher salary.

"The governor's office has nothing to do with the commission or its recommendations, and we will not be putting forward legislation in this regard this session," Puglia said.

Under state statutes, Malloy has three appointees on the commission.

There was no comment from the offices of House and Senate leaders on Wednesday night, but there seems to be limited interest in raising their pay at a time when lawmakers are battling a steadily rising deficit in the current budget -- $121 million as of Wednesday -- and a looming billion-dollar shortfall in the spending package that will take effect July 1.

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Under state law, the commission makes non-binding salary recommendations to the Legislature by Feb. 15 in odd-numbered years. During the 1998 legislative session, then-Gov. John G. Rowland, anticipating a potential election-year issue, opted out of a higher salary, keeping it at $78,000. The governor's pay rose to $150,000 in January 2003.